Women’s International League, 5/1/22. This image is available from the United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID npcc.06273. In the public domain in the USA
By Kathie MM
It’s International Women’s Rights Day, March 8, 2018—a day not just to celebrate women’s escape from bondage, or women’s courageous struggle to gain their inherent social, economic, and political rights, but also to press for progress/ . When gun rights outweigh women’s and children’s rights and the NRA agenda outranks human rights, it’s time to act.
In every nonviolent struggle for rights, role models can play a crucial role. Today, let a child lead you. Watch and take courage from the words and deeds of some very young women—the young women who are organizing the March 24, March for Our Lives on Washington, DC. https://marchforourlives.com/In particular, make your day by watching this video in which Sarah Chadwick, one of the survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting (which left 17 students and staff dead), takes on Dana Loesch, spokespropagandist for the NRA.
Then decide how you can support the March 24 March for Life, for women’s rights, human rights, and peace. To remind yourself that the activism of ordinary citizens can move mountains while congresspeople sit on their hands and worry about their wallets, read this .
Women, for further inspiration about the particular differences women can make, also read this and join the cause.
Stone memorial to civilians killed in war. Courtesy of the Peace Abbey.
by Kathie MM
In a chart in a recent post entitled 100 Living Peace and Justice Leaders, the characteristics attributed to peace and justice leaders and models included:
nonviolence,
inspiration,
tolerating struggle,
empathy & compassion,
integrity,
courage,
and a purpose-driven life.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, 2018, I want to honor one man who exemplifies all those characteristics: Lewis Randa, founder of the Life Experience School and the Peace Abbey
Here are brief examples of each of those characteristics in Lewis’s life:
Nonviolence: Lewis explains, “Martin Luther King said, ‘If you haven’t found something worth dying for you’re not fit to live.’ Nonviolence is something I’d be willing to die for. I don’t torture myself over whether I’ve done a good job or bad job.” (verdict:superb job)
Inspiration: From the founding of The Life Experience School for special needs children and young adults in 1972 (his alternative service as a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War) to his current nonviolent resistance to any governmental move to use nuclear weapons against North Korea, Lewis has inspired multitudes.
Tolerating struggle: The nonviolent civil resistance in which Lewis has engaged his entire life has consistently demanded tolerating struggle; add to that his engagement in the stone walk— the project involving hauling a one-ton granite stone memorializing civilians 500 miles in the US, many miles in Ireland, and then later, under the able leadership of Dot Walsh, substantial distances in Japan and Korea.
Empathy & compassion: Because of empathy and compassion for all living creatures, Lewis is a vegetarian—as is the rest of his family — and a proponent of animal rights (You just have to read Emily the cow’s story!)
By Anthony J. Marsella and Kathleen Malley-Morrison
Note from Kathie MM: Enjoy this culmination of the quest in which we have engaged the past two weeks to identify 100 examples of peace and justice leaders, illustrated with enticing and enlightening new charts.
Introduction
26 Jan 2018 – The annual memorial holiday on January 15, 2018, celebrating Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.’s enduring contributions to peace and justice, has passed.
The events of the day linger in our minds, eternally grateful for Reverend King’s efforts to free people and nations from the brutal oppressions imposed by governments, nations, societies, organizations, and individuals, who willfully continue to support and sustain the evils of racism, prejudice, violence, and war.
Reverend King’s commitment to freedom from oppression and abuse compel us to continue his efforts far beyond the words, songs, and promises of his day.
To this end, we, (i.e., Kathie Malley-Morrison & Anthony J. Marsella), the authors of this article, have chosen to demonstrate our responsibilities to continuing the work of Reverend King, by identifying 100 living peace and social justice leaders and models.
The number is arbitrary for there are tens of thousands more who deserve citation. Many are not listed, but will be listed in future efforts. Do not be dismayed! Patience! We believed it essential to create a dynamic list of living peace and justice activists and advocates to encourage peace and justice work.
The individuals included on our list are from all genders, ages, roles. They are from many nations, ethnocultural groups, and “races.” We sense a rising tide of commitment to peace and justice, and an intolerance of the corruption, cronyism, and asymmetric power sustaining current abuses.
We consider our efforts a beginning, and we will continue to publish new lists. This is because the struggle for peace and justice is endless, and each day new people are rising to the call.
This is as it should be, and must be, until such time the forces of oppression yield to the forces of good; evil will continue, but human virtue, endowed in conscience will triumph! While the work of many included will be recognized, some of those listed may not be apparent. We have attached website information after each name to offer insight into their efforts.
Before sharing our list, however, we wish to include two charts offering graphic displays of essential material for understanding and appreciating living leaders.
CHART 1: PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PEACE AND JUSTICE LEADERS AND MODELS
CHART 2: ROLES AND STATUSES OF LIVING PEACE & JUSTICE LEADERS AND MODELS
TABLE 1:
One Hundred Living Peace and Justice Activists, Advocates, Models
This is our continuing contribution to the legacy of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. His work continues in the lives of those who share his commitments.
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Kathleen Malley-Morrison, Ed.D., Director of the Group on International Perspectives on Governmental Aggression and Peace (GIPGAP), is Professor Emerita of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University. She is the author or coauthor of several books, including Family Violence in a Cultural Perspective, and Family Violence in the United States, as well as editor of the four volume series: State violence and the right to peace: An international survey of the views of ordinary people. She has authored numerous articles and book chapters on violence within relationships and nations. Her current efforts to advance peace and social justice are centered primarily in her blog, Engaging Peace. http://engagingpeace.com. She can be reached at: kathiemm@engagingpeace.com
Anthony J. Marsella, Ph.D., a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment, is a past president of Psychologists for Social Responsibility, Emeritus Professor of psychology at the University of Hawaii’s Manoa Campus in Honolulu, Hawaii, and past director of the World Health Organization Psychiatric Research Center in Honolulu. He is known internationally as a pioneer figure in the study of culture and psychopathology who challenged the ethnocentrism and racial biases of many assumptions, theories, and practices in psychology and psychiatry. In more recent years, he has been writing and lecturing on peace and social justice. He has published 21 books and more than 300 articles, tech reports, and popular commentaries. His TMS articles may be accessedHERE and he can be reached at marsella@hawaii.edu.
Martin Luther King Jr, at a press conference / World Telegram & Sun photo by Walter Albertin, 8 June 1964. No known copyright restrictions
By Kathie Malley-Morrison & Anthony J. Marsella
One Hundred Living Peace Advocates & Activists: The second 50 nominations
Here is the rest of our list of 100 nominees for the MLK Peace & Social Justice Activist Team. The qualities for which we were looking when assembling the list are the qualities that we view as inherent in peace: freedom, commitment, sacrifice, nonviolence, courage, justice, and integrity. The level of each quality varies across nominees, whose background, experiences, goals, successes, and failures also vary, of course. But they are all strivers — strivers for peace and justice. Please send us your views on our nominations and your own suggestions for who should be on the list.
Martin Luther King Jr, at a press conference / World Telegram & Sun photo by Walter Albertin, 8 June 1964. No known copyright restrictions